Don't expect rant from Frank Thomas in Hall of Fame speech

Two weeks before his Hall of Fame induction, Frank Thomas is busy putting the finishing touches on his speech.

There will be no designated writer brought in to refine Thomas' thoughts. It will be 100 percent pure, unfiltered Frank, just the way he was during his stellar career for the White Sox and two other teams.

"I wrote my own speech because I wanted to do something heartfelt," Thomas said. "There were definitely speechwriters out there that wanted to do it, but no. I just took some time to collect my thoughts and thank all the people I can.

"That's what it's all about for me — being thankful for where (I am). And there were a lot of people who helped get me here. That's more important to me than anything else, thanking the coaches, the people that really helped me get to this point."

Hall of Fame speeches can sometimes drone on, and most of the words are soon forgotten by everyone but the person who delivered them. Rarely do players deviate from the norm and give a speech that raises eyebrows.

But former Cubs great Ryne Sandberg broke from the mold in 2005 with a soliloquy about "respecting the game," saying: "If this validates anything, it's that learning how to bunt and hit-and-run and turning two are more important than knowing where to find the little red light on the dugout (TV) camera."

The Washington Post called it "a blistering speech that decried the lack of respect for the game among today's players, took a thinly veiled shot at steroid users and seemed to single out former teammate Sammy Sosa as an example of both."

Sandberg had help writing the speech but clearly wanted to make a statement about the state of the game. Thomas is also well-known for his harsh stance on steroid users, and his reputation as a "clean" player in a "dirty" era probably helped him garner an impressive 83.7 percent of the vote by the Baseball Writers' Association of America.

But Thomas denied being an "outspoken" critic during his playing days, insisting he was labeled as one only because he tried to be honest with the media.

"I wasn't outspoken," he said. "Everybody just knew I was clean, and I lost more than anybody during that steroids era. I lost probably three MVPs and a lot of money.

"So, yeah, if it didn't affect you, you wouldn't have said anything either. But it affected me. Being at that level on a day-to-day basis, and I didn't get what I deserve out of that."

Thomas would not divulge the content his speech, of course, but it's doubtful he'll use much, if any, of his allotted 10 minutes decrying the use of performance-enhancing drugs. With six inductees this year — Thomas, Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine and managers Tony La Russa, Bobby Cox and Joe Torre — the speeches will have to be concise.

Thomas has a lot of people to thank and not much time to talk.

"I'm sure I'm going to go over (the time limit)," he said. "Everybody is going to go over. But I'm not going to disrespect the other guys. We've already had this conversation (with the Hall of Fame). We're not going to step on anybody's toes.

"It's made-for-TV, so everybody has to get their moment. This is their last shining ride, so don't disrespect your compadres."

This year's inductees took a tour of the Hall of Fame in the spring, giving them a chance to see the exhibits and feel more comfortable in the surroundings. Thomas said that was when "it really hit you" that he's considered one of the elite players in the game's history.

As an African-American from Georgia, one particular exhibit stood out for Thomas — the one that showed some of the death threats made to Jackie Robinson and Hank Aaron.

"They have some of those letters and I was able to read some," Thomas said, "and to see that Hank kept that focus and broke that (all-time home run) record, it's amazing because it was life and death.

"And the same with Jackie Robinson (breaking the color line). That was life and death too. And you don't get to see that type of stuff unless you go there."

With no players getting the necessary 75 percent of the BBWAA vote for induction in 2013, the Hall of Fame weekend last July was somewhat of a bummer.

But the Class of 2014 is considered one of the best in years, and Thomas is looking forward to a memorable week. The invasion of Sox and Cubs fans in Cooperstown will only add to the festivities.

"It's an unprecedented class — six first-ballot Hall of Famers, and three of the most iconic managers of the last 40 years — and I'm a part of it," he said. "I'm excited. And with Maddux, the people of Chicago will be having two guys going in — one from the North Side and one from the South Side.

"So Chicago has got to be tuned in for that. Greg is going to be Greg. He's humorous. He's going to be laid-back. He said, 'Don't expect too much from me, but I'm going to have a good time with it.' "